Tray.



A. P. GEIMER.

TRAY.

APPLICATION men MAR. 14, 1918.

1,291,474. Patented Jan. 14,1919.

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ANTHONY P. GEIMER, OF TWO RIVERS, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE HAMILTON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF Tl/VO RIVERS, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

. TRAY.

Patented Jan. 14, 1919.

Application filed March 14, 1918. Serial No. 222,369.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTHONY P. GEIMER, citizen of the United States, residing at Two Rivers, in the county of Manitowoc and State of Wisconsin, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Trays, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

My invention relates to trays and is of particular service in connection with those trays that are formed to contain sheets such as blue prints, drawings and tracings and which have sheet retainers to rest upon the sheets to keep the sheets from shifting about in the trays. These trays are generally in the form of drawers which constitute parts of cabinet structures but the invention is not to be limited to any particular way in which the trays are disposed.

My invention resides in providing a link connection having hinge 'union at one end with the retainer and at its other end having union with an upright side of the tray that permits this other end of the link connection to be moved up and down.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the link connection is sufficiently long and has such union with said upright side of the tray as to permit the retainer to hang outside of the tray when it is desired to relieve the interior of the tray of the presence of the retainer for certain adjustments of the tray contents. A ledge desirably projects above the upright side of the tray that is united with said link connection for engaging an intermediate portion of the link connection to hold it in an inclined position when the retainer is hanging outside of the tray, whereby the extent to which the retainer may depend from the tray is reduced.

I will explain my invention more fully by reference to the accompanying drawing showing the preferred embodiment thereof and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tray equipped in accordance with the invention, the tray illustrated being in the nature of a drawer of a cabinet; Fig. 2 is a plan view, partially in section, of a portion of the tray illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4: is a perspective view illustrating a detail of construction.

Like parts are indicated by similar char actors of reference throughout the different.

figures.

The tray 1 illustrated is in the nature of a cabinet drawer, a portion of a cabinet casing 2 being illustrated. This drawer or tray is shown as being made of formed sheet steel or other metal. The top of the drawer is shown as being provided with outwardly projecting horizontal rims 3 that are continued to form aprons 1 along the sides of the tray. A sheet retainer 5 rests upon the pile of sheets 6 that the tray may hold. The longitudinal marginal portions of the retainer 5 ar'edesirably curled as indicated at 7, 8. The curled marginal portion 7 which is adjacent the upright side 9 of the tray constitutes a sleeve into whose ends cylindrical pins 10 and 11 are forcibly driven. Slots 12 and 13 are sawed through the sleeve 7 preferably near the inner ends of said oylindrical pins for the purpose of exposing parts of said pins to enable them to function as pintles of hinges. A link connection unites the retainer with the upright wall 9 of the tray. This link connection is preferably inclusive of two links 14-, 15 whose inner ends are formed with eyes 14 15 that closely encircle the pintles 10, 11 but within which eyes said pintles may turn when the retainer is turned to some other position as that indicated by the dotted illustration of the retainer shown in Fig. 3.

The links project through the upright slots 16 in the upright tray wall 9 and are bent at right angles upon the exterior of this wall as indicated at 14 15 The entrance portion of each slot 16 is narrower than its inner portion whereby the angular portion of the link entering such slot is retained in assembly with the upright tray wall 9. By this construction the links have connection with the upright side 9 of the tray that permits the outer ends of the links to be moved up and down in order that the position of the retainer 6 may be bodily shifted. The links 11, 15' are desirably sufficiently long to permit the retainer to hang outside of the tray as indicated by the dotted illustration of this retainer in Fig. 3. A ledge 17 projects above the upright side of the tray to engage intermediate portions of the links to hold them in an inclined position when the retainer is hanging outside of the tray in order to reduce the extent to which the retainer may depend from the links when the retainer is upon the outside of the tray.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the upright wall 9 of the tray has no apron 4: but instead the metal forming this upright wall is continued to form an upwardly extending upright flange 1S, and the bottom of the tray being downwardly continued to form another upright flange 19. The ledge 17 is a part of an element 20 of sheet metal whose top and bottom edges are bentv over to be of U-shape to receive the flanges 18, 19. The filler 21, preferably of wood, is desirably placed in the space inclosed by the upright wall 9 and the sheet metal element 20 joined therewith. This filler 21 is cut away at 22 back of the vertical slots 16 to accommodate the angular ends 14 15 of the links 14, 15. The backing 21, while being formed to permit the links to be moved freely up and down, at the same time limits the extent to which these links may be thrust outwardly. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the retainer 5 is flat and because of the floating fulcrum aiforded by its hinge connection with the links 14:, 15 this retainer is bodily movable so as always to lie fiat upon the top of the pile of sheets and parallel with the top of the pile of sheets and with the bottom of the tray if the sheets are smooth. This arrangement prevents the edges of the sheets that are in front of the retainer from curling beneath and in front of the retainer. These advantages are gained no matter how full the tray may be. By having the retainer always lying flat upon the contents of the tray and parallel with the top of the pile of contents the capacity of the tray is not reduced as would be the case if the retainer were so united with the tray as to be inclined with respect to the top of the pile of sheets.

lVhile I have herein shown and particularly described the preferred embodiment of my invention I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction shown, as changes may readily be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, but having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following l. The combination with a tray; of a retainer for resting upon contents of the tray; a link connection having hinge union at one end with said retainer and at its other end having union with an upright side of the tray that permits this other end of the link connection to be moved up and down, said link connection being sufficiently long and having such union with said upright side of the tray as to permit the retainer to hang outside of the tray; and a ledge projecting above said upright side of the tray for engaging an intermediate portion of the link connection to hold it in an inclined position when the retainer is hanging outside of the tray.

2. The combination with a tray; of a retainer for resting upon contents of the tray, said retainer having a curled marginal portion adjacent an upright side of the tray to constitute a sleeve; a pin received in the bore of said sleeve, a slot being formed in the sleeve across which the pin extends; and a link connection having an eye surrounding said pin at the slot in the sleeve and in turning relation therewith, the upright wall of the tray adjacent the curled portion thereof having an upright slot, said link connection having an angular portion operating in and retained by said slot whose entrance portion is narrower than its inner portion.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 8th day of March, A. D. 1918.

ANTHONY P. GEIMER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for fivevcents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

